The Chair chronicles the trials of Ji-Yoon Kim, deftly played by Sandra Oh, newly installed as the chair of the English Department at tony Pembroke University, the first woman and first person of color to hold the position. Of course she immediately has her hands full with restive departmental colleagues, woke students, intractable administrators and trustees, troubled adoptive daughter, uncomprehending Korean father, etc.
Given all these elements it's not surprising that The Chair seems early on to go in every direction at once, some of it not particularly convincing, particularly her maybe-romance with troubled departmental "star," author Bill Dobson. Still, enough rings true that this academic kept watching to the end of the first season. The way a thoughtless classroom misstep can escalate to a full-blown crisis in this age of social media is uncomfortably close to real life, as is the tendency to simultaneously exalt and undermine promising minority professors. The first season ends with many plot threads left hanging, with even Oh's continuance as chair up in the air. Let's hope there's a sequel!
Given all these elements it's not surprising that The Chair seems early on to go in every direction at once, some of it not particularly convincing, particularly her maybe-romance with troubled departmental "star," author Bill Dobson. Still, enough rings true that this academic kept watching to the end of the first season. The way a thoughtless classroom misstep can escalate to a full-blown crisis in this age of social media is uncomfortably close to real life, as is the tendency to simultaneously exalt and undermine promising minority professors. The first season ends with many plot threads left hanging, with even Oh's continuance as chair up in the air. Let's hope there's a sequel!